Manila City Hall says COVID-19 vaccine storage facility now ready with 12 freezers

MANILA, Philippines — The City of Manila’s COVID-19 vaccine storage facility is ready after the arrival of biomedical freezers that would keep the vials stable, its local government said on Tuesday.

According to the Manila Public Information Office (MPIO), the completion of freezers that would be used to store the vaccines — which would require below zero degree Celsius temperatures for maximum efficacy — means that the city’s COVID-19 Vaccine Storage Facility can start operating by February 14.

As of now, the city has 12 COVID-19 refrigeration units, three of which arrived on Tuesday.  These are intended for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which would need lower temperatures, around negative 60 degrees Celsius to negative 80 degrees.

“The Manila City government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Storage Facility is now set to begin its operations on February 14 after it received its three biomedical freezers intended for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines,” MPIO said in a statement.

“The three freezers arrived on Tuesday, February 9 at the Sta. Ana Hospital, where the vaccine storage facility is located. This means the local government now has 12 COVID-19 refrigeration units in total,” it added.

MPIO also relayed that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno called for a meeting with local officials, including Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan and those from the Manila Health Department (MHD), to discuss the mass vaccination program.

Moreno told the officials, including Assistant City Health Officer Dr. Ed Santos, Sta. Ana Hospital Pharmacist Jude Beltran, Biomedical Specialist Walter Rigonan, City Engineer Armand Andres, that the vaccines should be protected and taken care of as people’s lives depend on it.

“Gawin natin ang lahat para maproteksyunan ang bakuna. That is a reflection of every life that we can protect. May buhay na nakasalalay sa bawat bakunang hawak natin,” the local executive said.

(Let us do everything we can to protect the vaccines.  That is a reflection of every life that we can protect.  There are so many lives at stake with every vaccine that we hold.)

“The efficiency and the value of the product lies on your hands. Protect the product,” he added.

Currently, the city government’s freezers at the Sta. Ana Hospital vaccine storage facility can accommodate the following number of vials:

2 units of -10°C to -25°C freezer, each capable of storing 5,200 vials;
2 units of -10°C to -30°C freezer, each capable of storing 17,2000 vials;
3 units of -70°C freezer, each capable of storing 35,000 vials
5 units of 2°C to -8°C freezer, each capable of storing 8,200 vials

Sta. Ana Hospital Director Grace Padilla said that the facility is ready to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, adding that it is secured with various constantly operating close circuit television cameras and six data loggers.

Padilla also assured Moreno and the public that the hospital has a backup generator on standby in case of any power interruption.

“This is to ensure the security of the vaccines tapos sa ating mga refrigerations mayroon tayong tinatawag na data logger, sila yung magmo-monitor ng temperature ng each ref,” Padilla added.

(This is to ensure the vaccines’ security, while our refrigerators have data loggers, which would monitor each refrigerator’s temperature.)

Moreno on the other hand said that once the vaccines are available, the city government would commence vaccinating Manila residents from Monday to Sunday, adding that they would only stop once the supplies are exhausted.

“Once the vaccines are there, we will not stop — Monday to Sunday, hindi tayo hihinto. Hihinto lang tayo kapag tapos na. This is saving lives, protecting lives, yun ang goal,” he said.

(Once the vaccines are there, we will not stop — Monday to Sunday, we will not stop.  We would only stop when the vaccination program is over.  This is saving lives, protecting lives, that is the goal.)

“Ang habol ko ay walang mamamatay. Hindi na baleng may patuloy na infection, basta wala nang mamamatay. Kawawa ang tao,” he added.

(What I’m after for is avoiding deaths.  We’ll be okay even if people still get infected as long as they do not die.)

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